If you remember this location as the urban cowboy, saddle-up-to-the-bar sort of place that kept the bar stools filled at Telluride, you are in for quite a surprise.

A major renovation has happened at BOCA in Stamford, and the new place, at first glance, appears to be aimed to a totally different crowd.

In reality, though the food is Mediterranean instead of American West, the buzz is still about high energy, high flavor and fun.

The ambiance is totally, unabashedly cool -- almost icy in its use of shiny, pure white walls and smooth black floors, with hits of electric blue lips in a giant abstract of Marilyn Monroe.

In warm weather, the entire front opens onto Bedford Street, but even on chilly days, the place has an open and airy feel from high ceilings and sophisticated high energy. The bar occupies one long wall and is nicely separated a bit from dining tables on the other side so that noise, while energetic and electric, is quite manageable.

Servers also seem energized by this sleek, new decor and provide excellent, quick and enthusiastic attention from start to finish.

It seems that most every new restaurant, no matter the cuisine of origin, presents itself in the small plate format that originated with traditional Spanish tapas or bar food. As the world's consummate snackers, we Americans have embraced this free-form dining both as bar noshes and as whole meals.

BOCA, with its emphasis on big flavors and imaginative presentations, does this as well or better than any other place in the area. The challenge for the diner is to put together a stream of tastings that are complementary. Here the menu helps by arranging categories into salad, veggie dishes, seafood and meat -- sort of like a conventional menu, but smaller portions and prices.

So, start with one of the tiny, but heaping tall salads, such as a classic Greek highlighted by fresh oregano, the currently avant garde mix of baby beets, goat cheese and fennel, or a sweeter salad of artisan greens, grapes, cranberries and roasted shallot vinaigrette. All are artful, pleasingly dressed and full of flavor.

From the greenery, move on to a straight or veggie course, or mix and match. The vegetable listings emphasize the kitchen's Greek leanings with such options as a very garlicky kale and garbanzo mix, a trio of Mediterranean spreads that include lemony hummus, tzatziki and a rich olive tapenade with really fresh pitas, or (our favorite) a classic rendition of pan-fried manchego cheese with toasted almonds and romesco sauce.

Pea and mozzarella aroncini is a great idea for a small portion since these rich little rice balls should be sampled lightly, as are the ultra-crispy eggplant and zucchini chips served with a tangy tzatziki sauce.

The idea also works very well with a lovely assortment of Spanish charcuterie and an equally impressive cheese platter of manchego, feta, valdeon and herbed goat cheese with olives and honey.

More "main course" in flavor are the meat and seafood options. It's hard to choose a singular highlight here, as a petite portion of classic ossobuco is meltingly tender, but even eclipsed in memory by the feather-light ricotta gnocchi on the same plate. Similarly, a stack of meaty, crisp maple and ginger baby back ribs are even better with the crunch of flash-fried sesame kale "chips" as garnish.

Other meat options are pork souvlaki in a mini version of the classic, a small but perfectly prepared grilled skirt steak with golden fries and a zingy salsa verde, or a more exotic quail egg and fresh chorizo crostini with piperade and a dusting of smoked paprika. Even the burgers are the currently popular sliders, with tantalizers of lobster or short ribs as fillings.

Seafood is highlighted by a fabulous mussel preparation steaming in a garlicky tomato-and-wine broth with capers, chorizo and beans while baccalao and spinach fritters are more calming, even with a citrusy grapefruit and saffron aioli. Grilled octopus with fried capers, oregano and red onion on a bed of arugula is a fine version of a classic, as is sea scallop ceviche with the odd but pleasant addition of diced apple. Other choices include crab salad crostini with avocado and lime mousse, classic Catalan skillet shrimp and fried calamari with lemon aioli.

Desserts at BOCA will make you smile from start to finish. The small plate concept here becomes shot-glass size. Fortunately, our waitress is also the pastry chef, so her mouthwatering descriptions convinced us to try several of the tray of "shots" placed on the table. At only $3 each, and with a multitude of tiny spoons, one does not have to choose between such exotica as mango topped cheesecake, pina colada mousse cake, boozy peach crisp, triple chocolate layer "cake," or classic panna cotta. At $3 apiece, a table of four can literally have it all. This is dessert heaven.

BOCA is swimming with the tide of small plates, but this Mediterranean array in a dazzling new setting in the middle of the popular restaurant row that is lower Bedford Street is dazzling, dramatic and downright delicious.